Four Tips to Indulge and Not Bulge on Thanksgiving

Yes, you can have your cake (and turkey!) and eat it, too this Thanksgiving. NIKE trainer and health and fitness expert Deanna Jefferson shows you how with four easy steps:

Lose the Booze

Alcohol is full of empty calories. Empty calories have no nutritional value, so essentially alcohol is a waste of calories ideal for packing on body fat. Not to mention, alcohol lowers your inhibition and can cause you to over-eat. If you’re going to drink, stick with a glass of red wine or a shot of alcohol, and stay away from fruity cocktails.

Plead to Lead

Help out or host dinner. If you’re constantly on the move, cooking, setting up, serving, and cleaning, you’ll burn more calories and have less free time for nibbling. However, be cautious of sampling and taste-testing everything on the menu as you prepare. Those calories can add up quickly!

Move and Groove

In the days leading up to the big feast, rev up your workout routine. Create a little more of a calorie deficit to dump those extra calories. Add in more total body exercises (such as burpees), some circuits (such as tabatas), or anaerobic cardio bursts (such as sprint intervals). Revving up your workout intensity can help to offset that calorie intake.

Don’t Save the Crave

Most people tend to under-eat or not eat at all to “save room” for the big dinner. Eat breakfast to get that metabolism going, and snack on healthy foods throughout the day so you don’t binge eat and head straight for the high calorie, high fat foods your body will crave. It’s a lot easier to pass up or eat less of the dreamy drizzling belly bulging foods, when you’re partially full from healthy options you ate earlier.

Social Counter

We are passionate. We are opinionated. We are direct. We move fast. We welcome change. We value creativity. We love to win. We are fans. We won’t judge (much). We love new. We are supportive. We are kind, *though occasionally shady.